Page 39 - DAIS - DAISPORA ISSUE03

DAISPORA Since the pandemic, we have seen public interest in good health and Early diagnosis is only possible where healthy people have regular health

FEATURE preventative care grow exponentially. screenings to ensure asymptomatic illnesses aren’t missed. For those of us lucky

to have the ability to keep ourselves and our families in the best possible health,

The Indian healthcare industry an annual health check is now highly recommended after the age of 30. An
annual cholesterol check can identify the early signs of heart disease and allow

Navigating healthcare in a post pandemic world grew past 370 billion you to control or reverse the progression. There are a variety of incredibly
effective cancer screens, especially relevant where there are genetic factors

checking herself at home is associated with a 99% survival rate - this falls to 86%
Good health is something most people only think about when they don’t have it. involved. Early diagnosis of breast cancer by something as simple as a woman
It usually takes a major life event, to yourself or a loved one, to bring the for stage 3 diagnoses. A visit to your physician and a few quick tests could quite
importance of health to the front of our minds; especially at our age. However, dollars in 2022. literally save your life.
It is predicted to grow over funding for those less fortunate sharply into focus. Whilst our government and
all of that changed in 2020, when our world came to a standstill in the early
stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought the limitations of our healthcare infrastructure and

I have worked in healthcare services in India for over a decade. My business is the industry as a whole does its best to invest in its growth and future, keeping
largely focused on health screenings and assessments, i.e., preventative rather 600 billion dollars yourself in good health plays a significant part in reducing the burden on an
than therapeutic care. As a result of this, my clients are large companies and already stretched system.
governments, rather than people. My clients are institutions who would be so
adversely affected by a health event (for example, a shipping company who by 2024. Inarguably the pandemic has had a lasting impact on healthcare systems around

would lose tens of millions of dollars were someone to develop tuberculosis on the world, ranging from a backlog of elective and non-urgent procedures to
board a months-long voyage), that it is more cost effective to screen every reduced immunity in the population due to lengthy social distancing measures.
employee embarking on one thoroughly than to risk that outcome. In essence, Hopefully, the change it has wrought in how we view the importance of our
my work is to identify hidden risks to otherwise healthy people; and guide them Simply put, the pandemic brought health to the front of our minds. People are health, and the steps we take to protect it, can somewhat balance the scales.
to specialists to either prevent or delay the illness they are likely to suffer from more concerned about their health, and more likely to seek the knowledge
in the future. required to make educated choices about their treatments. Infection control,

i.e., the practice of sanitization (originally only used in clinical settings), is now
the norm across many industries (for example, at your salon or local cafe); and
vaccination protocols and risk to others are now considered when allowing
people to return to workplaces and schools after an illness.

A better focus on preventative healthcare doesn’t just protect you and your
family, it also protects society. Nowhere is this clearer than with vaccination.

Our country’s eradication of Polio is such a global success story, the grassroots
campaign to achieve it is being used as a model in African countries fighting
polio today. A battle won largely by a 10 rupee vaccination administered for free
by the government to children multiple times before they turn 2 years old.
Something as simple as an annual flu vaccine (especially for yourself and other
carers if you are the parent of a young child), can offer significant protection
from seasonal maladies.